Groping
by Starzki
Summary: Miroku is suddenly struck blind. Sango and the others have to help him and find out the cause or else lose his help on their journey. Canon. MirSan. COMPLETE.
1. Darkness Falling

Groping

By Starzki

Chapter 1: Darkness Falling

* * *

I didn't see it coming. The irony of that phrase still makes me chuckle, but it was true at the time.

I can still remember with complete clarity the last image I saw before the blindness struck me. As far as things that I've seen since becoming a part of this group, it was one of the nicer images. Completely common and everyday, but nice. Inuyasha and Kagome (with Shippou on perched on her shoulder) were walking in front of me down the forest path. Sango was in my peripheral vision holding Kirara and, as always, walking beside me. I even remember how charmed I was at the confluence of images of that moment. The day was mild, bright, and clear. The bright red of Inuyhasha's clothing and his silver hair provided a wonderful contrast to the dark greens and blues of the trees and their shadows. Also, I always enjoyed seeing the easy affection between Kagome and Shippou. That day, they were being especially cute. Shippou was making a game out of fashioning different styles of hats out of Kagome's long hair and modeling them to make her laugh. And then there was Sango. I even remember thinking to myself, right at that instant, that with her pink yukata and green apron, that Sango could make the flowers jealous for improving on their beauty.

It actually took me a few seconds to realize that I had gone blind. Now, I also sometimes find it funny that I didn't notice it right away. I guess that I had nothing to compare it to and, even now, I can't remember the precise moment everything went black. What I do remember was that last image freezing in my memory, then slowly fading. It was almost as though a cloud was passing in front of the sun, signaling an impending storm. But it kept getting darker. I wondered briefly if it wasn't an eclipse before the realization that the darkness that was shrouding the world around me was due to my own eyes and not my environment.

I stopped walking, blinked a few times, and tried opening my eyes wider, perplexedly trying to right my vision. Nothing made the light come back. I began to rub my eyes vigorously with my hands. I rubbed to the point of pain, but blackness and void was all that I saw.

"Something wrong, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked from somewhere ahead of me. She had noticed that I was no longer beside her. I heard what I decided to interpret as worry and concern in her voice, even though I couldn't see her expression to confirm it.

"I can't see right," I answered. "I can't see."

"What's the hold up?" called Inuyasha testily.

"Houshi-sama said that he can't see."

I waved my hand in front of my face, trying to make out a flutter of movement. All I sensed was the fanned air as it breezed past my skin. Footsteps approached me as I tried rubbing my eyes and blinking my blindness away again.

"What's wrong?" asked Kagome as Shippou bounded from her shoulder to mine, startling me. I could feel his breath and warmth on my neck and cheek as he peered closely at me.

"I can't see," I repeated, detached, waiting for vision to return.

"Can't see: blurry, or can't see: pitch black?" asked Kagome. I felt more movement of air against my face and I assumed Kagome was passing her hand in front of my face as I had done before.

A weird feeling of unbalance overtook me. I felt alone, adrift, and oddly cold without my bearings. I reached out and fumblingly caught and gripped the hand near my face, needing an anchor to the reality I remembered. Things were suddenly confusing and frightening. "Can't see: pitch black," I replied, trying stifle the oncoming panic I felt welling behind my heart. Although I still felt adrift, the hand I held served to tether me to the present, to keep me from floating into the lonely darkness. Forcing my breathing to remain steady, I clasped the small hand between both of my own. "Is this you, Kagome?" I asked.

"No, it's me, Houshi-sama," replied Sango. I instantly felt a little calmer, my trembling muscles relaxing slightly.

"Thank you," I answered.

"Your eyes look okay to me. They're not red or anything. Maybe you're just tired," offered Kagome. "We'll take a break and maybe it'll clear up on its own." Without being able to read her face, I listened hard to her voice and thought I detected a forced cheerfulness.

I nodded, but I didn't feel optimistic. I didn't feel fatigued at all. Sango tugged my hand and led me away, toward the side of the path we had been following. On the third step, I tripped on a root and stumbled. Luckily, Sango was able to jerk me back to my feet before I fell flat on my face. My heart racing, she led me to a flat and dry place to sit.

Behind me, I heard Inuyasha grumbling under his breath in annoyance at the delay. As fragile and frightened as I felt at that moment, I took immediate offence. My temper rose, angered that he felt so inconvenienced by my serious ailment. I tamped down the feeling quickly, though. He and I were frustrated at the same thing and I refused to start snapping at my friends for something wasn't their fault.

I sat cross-legged and attempted meditation, tried to find my center, in the hopes that it was a spiritual imbalance that had stolen my sight. But every time I peeked through a slitted eyelid, only darkness welcomed me.

After an hour, I shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "I still can't see," I announced. "I'm not tired and waiting around is just holding us up."

"Are you sure that you should try moving around in your condition, Houshi-sama?" asked Sango.

"I don't know what else I should do. I don't think that staying here will help me," I replied.

"Maybe a priestess in a nearby village will know what to do," offered Kagome.

I nodded. Then, I realized that I couldn't see anyone react to my nod to know if they saw _me_. So I said, "Yes, good idea." I realized that so many of my unconscious gestures were predicated on the reciprocated non-verbal behaviors of others. They seemed so utterly useless to me now.

"The nearest village is over a day's journey from here at the pace we're going," said Inuyasha. "Can this wait that long?"

"Yeah. And how are you gonna walk, Miroku?" asked Shippou. "You can't even see where you're going."

"No. You're right Shippou," I said.

"You can ride Kirara," decided Sango and the rest of the group made small murmurs of agreement. Riding Kirara would cut down travel time and save me from running into things and tripping.

"Alright," I consented. I heard the whoosh of Kirara's transformation and fumblingly made my way toward the sound. Sango held my elbow and guided me onto the giant cat's back. Sango took her usual seat in front of me. I noticed the smell of her hair, like clover and sunshine, and decided that being blind wasn't all bad, if it made me notice things like that.

But then Kirara bounded into the air and I experienced the most terrifying vertigo of my life. The wind rushing past my face and howling in my ears as we raced into the sky threw off every sensory landmark that I had been relying on. My dangling feet craved the firm ground beneath them. I gasped and faltered in my balance on the youkai's back, twitching forward against Sango, then so far back that I thought for sure that I would fall. I felt that I was falling, anyway. I was under water or within the violent winds of a tornado. It was how I feared my death would feel when the Kazaana grew and would overtake me one day: Blackness and violent winds tearing me apart from inside and out.

I had taken my usual position on Kirara: my staff in front of Sango's waist, my hands gripping the staff on either side of her hips in the only embrace she would allow me. But, in my sudden panic, I dropped my staff and began to clutch at whatever might stabilize me within the void and confusion I was experiencing. I grabbed handfuls of Kirara's fur with my right hand and Sango's shoulder, along with a fistful of her hair, in my left. I heard both the cat and Sango hiss in pain.

"Please," I gasped out with forced calm because inside I was screaming. "Land, now." It was as though steel bands were constricting the walls of my chest and preventing my heart or lungs from working properly. My pulse raced like I had just sprinted a mile at top speed and I tasted the sour bitterness of terror at the back of my throat.

Seconds that ticked by far too slowly to suit me brought us lower and to the ground. I slipped off of Kirara in an undignified heap. I pulled myself up onto all fours with my forehead pressed against the ground between my hands. Trembling and weak with relief, I couldn't bring myself to stand. The black I saw seemed to whirl and bubble, yet never differentiated in color or texture. The darkness around me was viscous and stuck to my hands and face, cold and tingling and promising abandonment and sorrow.

I heard Kagome rush up. "Miroku-sama, are you ok?" she asked with pity soaking her voice. I was too ashamed of my behavior, my position on the ground, to answer. Truthfully, I wasn't even sure if I could talk. I was still too worn with terror to make my muscles physically do my bidding.

I heard Sango shift and step lightly next to me, above me. She must have waved the others off, allowing me to gather myself with what little dignity I could muster. I managed to move to a sitting position with my face in my hands, my head swimming with dizziness and nausea. The rings of my staff jingled sweetly. Shippou had retrieved it and offered it to Sango and I heard her thank him softly.

A minute later, I had stopped trembling sufficiently enough to stand. I groped the air before me to assess my surroundings. My hand knocked against the staff that Sango was offering to me and I gripped it tightly. A strong hand on my elbow signaled Sango at my side again. "Did I hurt you?" I asked softly, ashamed. Strands of her hair were still twined around my fingers from when I had accidentally yanked them out.

"I'm okay, Houshi-sama. I should have realized what a bad idea it was. It's hard enough to ride Kirara with all five senses working perfectly." Then, she announced to the rest of the group, "We'll have to walk."

* * *

A/N: Apparently, I lied the last time when I said that "Support" would be my last Inu fic. But people were way too kind and embarrassed me into writing the other idea I had. So, for those who reviewed: Thank you. And you only have yourselves to blame for me assaulting the Internet with another one of my stories.

Origins of this story (if anyone cares): It started a couple of months ago, I was out running when I suddenly I couldn't see huge chunks of vision. I live in a major city and was three miles from home and couldn't see cars going by at intersections. It was a little scary and very confusing. It turned out to be only tunnel vision, the prelude to my first migraine, but it weird and kind of freaked me out at the time. Then, I started reading Jose' Saramago's _Blindness_ (interesting book, _very_ disturbing in the middle, but it gets better). The word "grope" was used a bit. So I got to thinking of my favorite monk and all the "what-ifs." Hence, this story.

Now, I've reread and re-edited this chapter so much that I've lost all perspective on it and need some feedback. I could definitely use all of the constructive criticism that people could give me. Thanks!


	2. Frustration

Disclaimer: I just realized that I haven't disclaimed any of my Inu fics so far. Consider it disclaimed as of… _now_!

A/N 1: It was very nice to get such positive reviews. I'm terrible at accepting compliments about my writing, but I thank everyone who responded or even just read and didn't hate it. So:

_Sango0803_, _lodz_, and _gypsymuse_: Thank you for your way too kind words. I hope you keep enjoying it.

_Serenedy_: How's this for updating soon?

_Aamalie_: And I thought I was being all original and creative (kind of). I haven't read any of the other blind Miroku fics and probably wouldn't have written this if I had. Oh, well. Too late now! But thank you for your encouragement. And, you'll see very soon how the groping occurs.

_HMPrune_: Sango wouldn't fall for a one-dimensional clown! And she'll _so_ be helping.

_Lily Thorne_: Well, Aamalie reviewed and said that it had been done before. So I'm not so clever as I thought. (Sigh.) And as for taking Miroku's POV, well, it's probably because he's the oldest and I can identify with him the best. And the stories that I've written sort of necessarily take his perspective for what I'm trying to do.

And now that I've stopped blushing, let's move on with the story.

- - -

Groping

By Starzki

Chapter 2- Frustration

- - -

"We'll have to walk," announced Sango.

I heard Inuyasha snort disgustedly and I frowned in response, my fear and humiliation giving way to angry frustration for causing us more delay. Kagome jumped in with an idea. "Miroku-sama can use his staff as a cane and have Sango lead him. It'll be a little slower, but I'm sure we'll manage to keep a good pace."

Then, Kagome showed me a way to make my staff into a kind of antennae to avoid large obstacles by tapping it in front of me. Holding onto Sango's elbow we began our way back down the path. Tentatively at first and with great concentration, but eventually gaining speed, I began to adapt to the obscured world around me.

There were new things to pay attention to. I could tell the presence of trees by the rustling of leaves, by the warmth of sun or coolness of shadow on my face, or by the distance of bird songs. The type of ground we tread was either hard or forgiving under foot, rustling or crunching or scraping. Conversations among the others tended to quiet as the path grew trickier or narrower.

My mind was prevented from wandering to nicer things as my main priority became to remain upright and mobile. I felt dizzy and awkward without the horizon or other landmarks to steady me. Luckily, Sango was there to help me.

With slight pressure, Sango was able to steer me around curves or other potential barriers and I didn't stumble once in the two hours of progress we made. She remained steady and patient and I never doubted my trust in her to steer my correctly. But I was more exhausted after those couple hours of walking than I was at the end of most of the battles against demons we fought. It was a weird mental fatigue, like a large weight pressing at my head and shoulders, causing my thoughts to slow and my muscles to tense and bunch.

I didn't want to ask for another break and incur Inuyasha's ire again, but I needed a release of some sort. My temper was very short and I was worried that I would break or snap if jostled in the wrong way. Sango's soft breathing so close to me gave me a wicked idea. I dropped her elbow and my hand found its way to her backside.

Her retribution was quick and expected. "Pervert!" she squealed. Then, I actually saw something other than pure blackness. Bright stars exploded before me and I predictably stumbled to my knees without my guide. I heard her huff away as Kagome, Shippou, and Inuyasha groaned at my behavior. These were not unusual responses. What was unusual was that I didn't feel the slightest bit better.

I belatedly realized that the best part of grabbing Sango was to see her reaction: her red cheeks and spunky anger. I always adored seeing her afterwards, gladly taking the tactile punishment in exchange for the visual reward. But right then, I felt even worse than I had before. Blind, I couldn't experience my favorite part of watching Sango spring to sudden life and passionately act without restraint or propriety. My brows knit together in mounting frustration and confusion. I felt myself regressing toward childhood and the temptation to throw a tantrum was overwhelming. It wasn't fair. Blind and scared, I couldn't even cop a feel to make myself feel better.

I took a few slow breaths to quench my temper and I rubbed my sore cheek. "Walk by yourself, Houshi-sama. See if I care anymore," Sango called from in front of me. She was far away, but I could still make out the hurt in her voice. I opened my mouth to apologize and call her back, but I knew it was hopeless. I had blown it and she would be mad at me until she wasn't any more. Apologies and excuses would be taken as convenient lies and only make matters worse. But I _was_ actually truly sorry this time.

I stood and made a half-hearted attempt to follow the rest of the group on my own, to try and reclaim some semblance of the independence that I had had since leaving the temple at age 15. But without Sango, I tripped ungracefully and found myself on the ground again. "Oh, Miroku-sama," sighed Kagome, her voice getting slightly louder as she neared me. "I'll help you. Just watch those hands of yours, okay?"

"No more touching of bottoms," I promised sulkily.

Shippou bounced up onto my shoulder. "I'll help, too," he announced cheerfully.

While my mood did not lighten at their offers of help, I was glad that I wasn't alone. I couldn't feel warm without seeing the sunlight. And without being able to see the lines and colors and contrasts of the world, I felt oddly insubstantial, dissipated and formless as smoke and fog.

As we again made our progress to the nearest village, I was surprised to learn that, even with both Kagome to guide me and Shippou to call out low branches and jutting rocks in the ground, our progress went much slower than before. I hadn't realized it, but Sango had a way of moving, of slowing down, speeding up, and using her body to subtly signal mine to the path before us. Without realizing it, I had been able to use her as an extension of myself, to feel out the path before me through her good-natured help. I felt like the biggest idiot in the world for taking her for granted as I did.

Really, Kagome _was_ doing a good job. But she would become easily distracted by talking to Inuyasha, continuing their favorite tiffs and lectures. It started this time when Kagome suggested trying to find Kouga and asking if he could spare a wolf to act as a "seeing eye dog" to guide me. Inuyasha pouted and retorted angrily. Shippou got in the middle of the argument. Twice, they failed to notice a small imperfection in the ground in front of us. After the second time I fell, Shippou decided that my shoulder was not the safest place to be and retreated back to Kagome.

Kagome apologized profusely and helped me back onto my feet. I nodded and tried to be cheerful but couldn't help but ask, "Is Sango still mad at me?" She had been silent as stone since she slapped me.

"Well," Kagome whispered conspiratorially, "She looked concerned when you fell, but she's now refusing to look at you." I sighed unhappily, wishing I could take back that last errant touch. My resistance to self-pity was one of the things I prided myself on, but I felt myself sinking further and further into it with every hesitant step I took.

A few minutes later, I heard Inuyasha stop walking, becoming still in order to better sense his surroundings. Moments later, I felt it myself. Demons were coming.

"You feel that, Miroku?" asked Inuyasha, still trusting my extra sensory abilities.

"Yes. Demons," I responded, glad that I wasn't completely useless after all.

"Naraku's minions?" asked Sango. "Maybe he's responsible for Miroku's blindness."

"Then why did he wait so long to attack?" asked Shippou sensibly. "And why not strike us all blind?"

"Who cares?" asked Inuyasha. Even blind and distant from him, I could feel him tense, eager for battle. Sango prepared her hiraikotsu and I heard her breathing deepen and become steadier.

I felt the demon auras near, but this sense was off as well. My training and ability to read demon auras and sense the presence of others even far away did somewhat depend on my sight. The movements of nature, of the animals and insects, all helped me to develop and rely on this sixth sense. Now, using this sense was like trying to grip an awkward object in my hand without my index finger. I didn't completely trust myself and I felt completely vulnerable.

Inuyasha recognized that I would be no help in this fight. "Kagome! Take Miroku and Shippou someplace safe where they can't get in the way," he ordered.

Kagome pulled me off of the path into some bushes and under trees with low branches. I grunted angrily as I felt the sting of pain as a sharp twig bit into the skin of my face. Kagome pulled me into a crouch. "Stay down and keep an eye on Shippou," she said to me. The bushes where she had been rustled for a moment, then stood still.

"Um," I responded, slightly confused, waving my hands to where her voice had come from, I felt nothing but sharp branches and air. She had gone back to fight with Inuyasha and Sango.

"Shippou!" I whispered, confused. "Are you here?"

"Yes, Miroku. Kagome's got her bow and arrows and is going to help fight," he replied cheerfully, scaling my robes to reach my shoulder. "Do you want me to tell you what's going on?"

"Yes," I said. I indulged in a few seconds of indignation at being designated the babysitter. I wanted to fight. I felt like I needed to in order to channel some of this intense frustration I had been feeling. But I swallowed it down, hoping that I would find a way to make myself useful despite my blindness.

As the demons neared, the wind picked up and rustled the leaves and branches of the forest around us. I tensed in anticipation. Shippou said, "The demons are coming."

Then, the darkness around me seemed a jumble of discordant noises as the fighting began. The air crackled with electricity and I was beginning to feel warm for the first time since I went blind. Branches broke and the stench of demon blood, accompanied by the sweet scent of perspiration, wafted on the quickening breeze. I felt the beats and breeze of Sango's boomerang as it took flight again and again. Noises of Inuyasha's gleeful roars and Sango's battle cries were jubilant enough for me to realize that each was doing what they were born to do. It was exhilarating.

Shippou proved completely useless in describing the fight, often starting a thought without finishing it in any detail. "Oh! And Inuyasha's got one… Hey! Sango's going to throw… Kagome's got… Oh no! The demon's turning around and…" said Shippou, his attention span proving to me that he needed less candy from Kagome's time.

I tried a different tactic. "How many are there?" I asked.

"Just a few," replied Shippou. "Not very evolved, if you ask me. Just your everyday forest demons. There's like four or five, but it's hard to tell because there are a lot of trees and hiding spots."

Longer pauses began to be incorporated into the boisterous sounds of fighting. "How are we doing?" I wondered aloud.

"Pretty good. Sango took out one demon with her boomerang and Inuyasha gotten two and is working on one more." Then, Shippou gasped loudly and bounded off of my shoulder toward the menacing sounds. "Kagome!" he cried.

I tried to reach out, snatching at the air where I assumed him to be but felt nothing. From in front of me, I felt a larger demon presence bearing down on our location fast. Acting on instinct and temporarily forgetting my blindness, I jumped from my leafy lair to both fetch Shippou and to hopefully ward off the demon that I guessed was attacking Kagome.

When I had cleared the bushes and stepped onto the path, the sound of breaking trees and what I could only describe as the tearing open of the sky froze me in mid step. Sango shouted at me, "Houshi-sama! Get down!"

I dived to the ground, taking in a mouthful of dirt and grass, and covered my head and neck with my hands. An odd whoosh above me signaled that Inuyasha had come to my rescue and deflected whatever attack was happening. The ground shuddered with the falling demon body parts seconds after Inuyasha announced that he was using the wind scar.

A nearby Kagome grabbed my shoulder and coaxed me to my feet. Inuyasha shouted at me, "Damn it, Miroku! Stay out from under foot! We've got things under control!"

But he didn't. There was definitely another demon presence. It was coming from behind me and directing itself at Inuyasha who either did not feel or see it coming. I could tell that he was relaxed, thinking that the battle was over, gloating over another victory. The air around him no longer trembled and was warmed by his rushing blood. There was more fight ahead and, whatever it was, it was barreling straight at an unsuspecting Inuyasha.

"Watch out!" I cried as I jumped into its pathway. It felt small, but it was moving fast and my body absorbed its whole impact. The air rushed out of my lungs and I landed hard, smacking my head against the ground. And then I discovered that, in my dreams, I could still see.

- - -

A/N 2: Ok, people, I'm posting this instead of cramming for tonight's super-hard statistics final like the good student I am. So, if you are reading this tonight, send positive and happy vibes my way. I'll probably be needing them. And I blame all typos, OOC-ness, and other problems in this chapter on the fact that I'm probably driven myself into a premature heart attack or aneurysm from all the studying. Also, the next chapter might not be updated quite so fast because of all of the post-final jubilation I plan on indulging in.

And just a warning (or tease, if you're into that sort of thing): The next chapters are shaping up to be very WAFFy. I really am trying to put some plot and development in them. We'll have to see how it goes. Let me know what you think.


	3. Sango's Sunrise

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Author's notes 1: That was the best after-final present I ever had! An inbox full of way-too-nice reviews. They made my whole night. And I totally kicked that final's butt, too (at least I hope so). I am such a math nerd, my family and friends are embarrassed for me when I start spouting off my _Matrix_-based theory to statistics (there is no spoon). But to those who reviewed, I wish holiday miracles for all of you! And I'm sorry about the slight delay in updating. I've been a little on the bipolar side this week with finals, recovering from finals, end-of-semester social engagements, recovering from those, etc.

_Aamalie_: Yes, cliffhangers are evil. But, you know what? They are less evil when you _update_! BTW, thanks for updating OA.

_Lily Thorne_: I hope I'm a good student. I've been doing it for long enough.

_starfighter48_: Beware of that book. It has the most disturbing scene in it that I have ever encountered and even I (who eats Stephen King books for breakfast) refused to read it. Once that part is over, it's okay. Not my favorite, but really intriguing.

_lodz_: Sadly, studying only cuts into my social life, never my sleep.

_Aiffe_: I like you. Your review made me laugh, then be concerned for you, then laugh again. 1) I took the high road? First time for everything I guess. 2) Maybe iron supplements will help (?). Please tell me you're seeing a doctor. 3) If you call ripping off an idea from a Nobel-prize winning author research, okay, I did some research. 4) I LOVE puns. The worse the better. No, wait…

_Fred the Mutant Pickle_: I love your screen name. And I'm glad that I'm getting some experiences of those who are blind or are friends with them right. I'm afraid of crapping over people's actual experiences by writing something I know almost nothing about.

_Aprill May_: Sadly, this as developed as my writing gets. Thank you for noticing that I'm trying to "write blind," so to speak. It takes like three times as long to explain things than if you could just describe them visually. And enough out of you dissing your own writing. If I could write like you, I would seriously consider quitting all this damn school and do that.

And to _Serenedy_, _DogEars22_, _Holy Psychic Vulpix_, _Spam-chan_, and _Crimson Yuki_, thank you so much for reviewing. It meant a lot to me that you took the time to tell me you liked the story. Thanks!

* * *

Groping 

By Starzki

Chapter 3: Sango's Sunrise

I fought consciousness for reasons I couldn't remember. For a few moments, I was suspended between sleep and wakefulness where I could hear what was going on around me, but not make sense of it. Mostly, I was thinking how dark the world behind my eyelids seemed. I felt uncomfortable in my position, but still felt too exhausted to find a new one.

"He's awake. His eyes are open," Sango said from above me. I wanted to argue, _No, I'm still asleep and my eyes are closed_. But then I remembered my predicament and groaned softly. I made to sit up, but strong arms held me down. My head was pillowed on something soft and warm.

"Are you okay, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked me, still above me. It was her lap that was my new pillow. And she had forgiven me, thank goodness. I resisted the urge to reach out and find her, afraid I would accidentally touch something I shouldn't and make her mad again. Instead I rubbed my eyes.

"I still can't see," I said dejectedly.

"We thought that hit you took might knock the eyesight back into you," joked Inuyasha. I had almost forgotten the demon.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, sitting up to more dizziness and a revived headache that was both a product of the blindness and smacking my head on the ground.

"Couple of minutes. That demon that you slowed down was invisible. I took care of him as soon as I could see him."

"Well, you're welcome, Inuyasha," I said as I rubbed the side that had taken the impact of the charging youkai. If I wasn't blind, I would be able to see a huge purple bruise there by tomorrow.

"Hey, maybe you're being blind was a good thing for that," Kagome piped in with her usual cheeriness. "Miroku-sama was concentrating on using his other senses and picked up on what the rest of us missed by relying on our eyes too much."

Sango helped me to my feet for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and handed me my staff. I sighed and said, "Maybe. But I'd still rather be able to see."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Sango, still holding my elbow. "That was a lot of demons just to be lurking in the forest."

"Yeah," answered Inuyasha. "But I didn't smell Naraku on them anywhere. And they were too disorganized. I don't think they were sent by him."

"Then why were there so many?" asked Shippou.

"Maybe it has something to do with the village we're headed for," guessed Inuyasha. "And that probably means that we're headed in the right direction."

"If that's the case," added Sango, "it'll only get worse the closer we get."

"You're right," said Inuyasha. "Miroku, no offense, but I think you should stay behind. It's too slow waiting for you. Kagome and I can get to the village and bring the priestess back in less time than it could take for all of us to just get there. Sango can stay with you in case any more demons attack around here."

"I'm going with Kagome," shouted Shippou.

"Kirara should go with you, too," said Sango. "She can carry Kagome when she gets tired and you'll get there and back faster."

I opened my mouth to make a flirty remark about Sango wanting to be alone with me, but shut it immediately when I realized that she was just trying to keep the others from having to stay behind and be as useless as I was, assigned to watch over the blind man. She and I would be treading water, in a way, prevented from going forward or retreating to safety. The fewer people (and demons) wasting time with us, the better.

We said our goodbyes. Inuyasha guessed they would be back by the next morning or early afternoon. Sango wished them luck. "Bring back someone to help Houshi-sama. I don't know if time will be a factor in restoring his sight, but I don't want to take any chances. Come back soon."

I reached out, fanning my fingers to touch one of them to assure myself they were more than disembodied voices. I wanted them to know I was here like they were here because I kept forgetting that I was real, not a part of the darkness. I wanted to thank them and beg them to find the way to fix me. But I felt nothing.

"They've gone," explained Sango. "Are you alright to walk? You took a pretty nasty hit back there. I was almost impressed." I nodded at her question, but was too disappointed by my own situation to pick up on the compliment.

Sango moved my free hand to her elbow. "I'm going to move us off the path and, hopefully, out of the forest, okay?"

"Why?"

"I'm trying to avoid more attacks by these forest demons. We'll stand a better chance if they have less places to hide. And they probably watch the path. So hold on tight, _to my elbow_," she stressed preemptively, "and we'll find a place to camp for the night."

"Is it dark?" I asked.

"No, but it will be in about an hour. I want us settled by then."

Then, we slowly wended our way through the trees. We avoided fallen logs and navigated ditches and streams. My side ached and I still felt so tired and cold, but with Sango there, I didn't once stumble. I didn't mind the pain at all.

In fact, I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't more injured. It would have given me an actual excuse for being left behind. Broken bones and torn ligaments were real, could be traced to a wound. There was a cause for their effect, unlike my blindness. And injuries healed with time. My darkness was so complete that it seemed permanent and I wasn't sure if I would ever see again.

I wasn't about to let it show, but I was terrified that my vision might be gone forever. Most of me cringed and rebelled against the idea of being blind. This part of me railed against the sightlessness and made vague declarations that I would find a way, no matter what, to restore my vision and continue on my quest for revenge and salvation. But another part of me relaxed, was calmed by the darkness. I could just give up on everything. I would have no other choice. I could settle in a village, find a nice girl who didn't mind leading around a blind man, and hand over the responsibility of vengeance to the next generation. Recognizing that even a tiny part of me felt this way was terrifying.

I had never shirked the responsibility thrust upon my by my forefathers. I had never really doubted that I would succeed. I knew I lived on borrowed time. I had squeezed every succulent drop of joy that life had to offer (and had the bruises to show for it). But that also necessarily meant I never considered that I might be defeated. I planned for my future. I could see myself as an old man. These thoughts brought me happiness when the alternative only scared me. So why dwell on something that I couldn't consider?

But it would be so easy to just give up. It tempted me, lulled me with promises of rest and peace. Had this happened only a year before, at a time when I had not joined with Inuyasha, I might have done it. But the thought of my friends going on to fight without me was devastating.

And then there was Sango.

I had never depended on anybody as I had her. She had fought beside me in battle. She worried over me when I was hurt. She had saved me in a thousand little ways. She saved me from injury, from depression, and from myself. I liked who I became when she was around. I would feel wrong, empty, without her near.

What was happening now was just an example of the ways that Sango was there for me unlike any other person. So while a part of me almost welcomed the excuse to stop, rest, pass the torch, and find a way to be happy with the rest of my life, the rest of me knew absolutely that I would never find anywhere near the same happiness as fighting, or even just standing, next to Sango.

As we neared the edge of the forest, Sango's instructions for the placement of my feet became fewer with longer stretches of just walking. If I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were just sharing a pleasant walk together. But at the same time, I knew that was silly because there was no way that Sango was going to let me hang onto her as I was if I could still see.

We had been walking slightly downhill through what felt like the tall grass of a meadow before the ground leveled out and we stopped. "This looks like a good place to spend the night," announced Sango.

"If you say so," I replied soberly.

"Maybe you'll see tomorrow," said Sango hopefully.

"I won't hold my breath," I responded softly, unable to shake free of my foul mood. I did need to rest.

Sango set up our entire camp without complaint. She built the fire and prepared a light supper and even helped me when I needed to relieve my bladder. In a way, it was nice to have her to take care of me. In another way, it was completely humiliating.

I fell asleep to the crackle of the fire, the comforting smell of smoke, and the sound of Sango's stillness. Sadly, I was so worn out that I didn't dream. I would have even welcomed nightmares if it meant that I could see.

- - -

I awoke hours later, confused, forgetting that I was blind. I sat up quickly, my heart hammering against my ribs. As the events of the previous day slowly came back to me, the strange vertigo that had been plaguing me returned. I felt as ethereal and weightless as vapor. It made my stomach churn and my head pound. I waved my arms around me, not recognizing where I was, needing to grasp something real and familiar.

"Houshi-sama?" murmured a sleepy-sounding Sango. I heard her rustle in her makeshift bed next to me. "Are you okay?"

"I still can't see," I whispered back. "I'm sorry to have woken you. I had just forgotten where I was."

Sango did not make to lie back down. Instead, she scooted closer and caught one of my hands. She must have seen the mild panic on my face, in the beads of perspiration on my brow. While I was glad she was there, comforted by her attention and thoughtfulness, I was again ashamed of my own fear.

"You look so sad," Sango said softly. I felt mild surprise. Her voice sounded disappointed. "You haven't smiled once since you've gone blind. Did you know that?"

"No," I replied. I hadn't noticed, but I was touched that Sango had.

"Isn't it funny how sometimes you only notice how much you've grown to depend on something until it's gone?" Sango observed. I remained speechless. I was torn between bawling over the truth of the statement and laughing myself into hysterics that she was telling this to _me_. So I took the middle ground of thoughtful silence as she continued, "It's just that you're usually so light-hearted and I count on you to be cheerful. You always smile."

"I had a lot to smile about."

"Not any more?"

I sighed. I felt like I was sinking, even with the prettiest girl I had ever met sitting with me, holding my hand, and telling me she was concerned for me. I was depressed by the expanse of blackness before me. It was foreboding and intimidating and I found it hard to keep up my usual easy-going demeanor. "I can't even tell if the sun is up yet," I complained softly. "I'm having trouble adapting."

Sango was silent for a few seconds. Then she said, "The sun is coming up just now, Houshi-sama."

I longed to see the sunrise. "Describe it to me, please," I asked.

Sango shifted and squeezed my hand. Then she was still and silent for a long time. I waited as she gathered her thoughts, her words. And then she began to speak in a low, intimate tone with a singsong cadence.

"Last night, I chose to camp on a plateau on the side of a hill overlooking a valley to the east. Right now, the sun is still hidden, but its rays are shooting over the hills on the other side of the valley. The valley is still hidden in shadow, dark greens and blues and purples. A small, oval pond in the middle of the valley is glinting at the new light. It looks like there are stars twinkling in it, stars on the ground." She took a deep breath and pressed on. "The wind is rustling and making dark and silver patterns in the long grass of the meadow. The eastward hills are almost black in the silhouette of the rising sun, but gilded in a brilliant yellow where the sun is beginning to strike them. The hills are…" Sango began to make a gesture with her hands, realized the futility of that, then finished her thought with words. "The hills look dark and hard, but gentle, too. Like smooth rocks from the ocean just lying on the horizon. The morning mist is obscuring everything, making the lines soft and the landscape look unfinished."

My heart began to beat faster and I felt a lump in my throat. No longer was I seeing darkness but the images that Sango described. I began to make slow circles against the back of her hand with my thumb as I sighed, "And the sky?"

"Oh, Houshi-sama," she said plaintively. "I don't have the words to describe it. I wish you could see it, but then you would know how bad I am at such descriptions."

"Please try."

Sango was quiet for a time, then began again. "The sky above us is still dark, but the stars have all disappeared. Toward the east, the sky lightens from a midnight blue to a deep violet. Nearer to the horizon, the sky is lavender and pink. There are low clouds that are still in shadow, a deep indigo. They're the same color as your eyes, Houshi-sama. But with the light, they are lined in silver. They'll probably pink with the rising sun, but I like them as they are now. It's like something out of one of my dreams. Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "The sun just peeked over the hills. It's a deep orange, almost crimson."

I could feel the light on my face. My breath grew shaky and I turned to face Sango imagining her in front of me, surrounded by the sunrise. "Beautiful," I whispered, feeling warmer, more solid, and happier than I had since I had lost my sight. "Thank you."

"There it is," said Sango, sounding happy.

"What?"

"Your smile. I found it." I raised my hand to my face and discovered that I was, indeed, smiling. Realizing this, I smiled wider.

I brought up the hand still holding hers and pressed it to my cheek so that she could feel my grin, as well. "Lady Sango," I said, "I never doubt that you'll be able to make me smile."

* * *

A.N. 2: This chapter is just all over the place. I'm having a hard time figuring out where to make my chapter breaks and am probably making the whole story worse. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better.

My parents insist that I go home for the holidays (groan). But I'm brining this with. So I'll either get a lot of writing done to avoid the drama of my family or I'll wrangled into the midst of it get very little done.


	4. Teamwork

Disclaimer: I _have_ been very, very good this year, so with any luck, Santa will give them to me.

Author's Note 1: I apologize for the amount of time it's taken to update. The computer here at home is in the same room as the Christmas tree so it's pretty much a given that anything done on it is fair game for everyone else to see. In the past week, every single member of my family has, without shame, read my email over my shoulder. So, I've had to write when everyone is either out of the house or sleeping. exasperated sigh Is Christmas over yet?

_Lily Thorne_, _Crimson Yuki_, _DogEars22_, _Seine_, and _Netsirk33090_: Thank you for your reviews! They encourage me to actually try and finish this story.

_Fred the Mutant Pickle_: I was guessing your name was an interesting story. Just so long as it didn't start with, "Well, my dad's a mad scientist . . . " and end with, "Now I'm dating a nice cucumber who's willing to convert once we find a big enough jar and enough brine." I hope your finals went well.

_Aamalie_: I'm updating, I'm updating. And I think the Chapter 5 (the reason I wanted to write this story to begin with) may even top the last one in WAFF.

_Addicted to Inuyasha_: I feel sorry for Miroku, too. But I also take a lot of pleasure in torturing him. What can I say? Maybe I'm evil.

_Spam Chan_: Kohaku? I never even considered bringing him in! It would be very interesting, but it took me forever to figure out how to get rid of Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara. I think that Sango and Miroku need some alone time, you know what I mean? Maybe in another story. :)

_Holy-Psychic-Valpix_: You're right! He didn't apologize! Which is strange because I'm huge on apologies. Huh. I guess he'll just have to show Sango how sorry he is.

* * *

Groping

By Starzki

Chapter Four: Teamwork

Ever mysterious to me, Sango remained silent, finally sighing and releasing my hand. "I'll get breakfast ready," she said. Was she blushing? Angry? Pleased? I wondered if her face was more expressive, less composed now that I was prevented from reading it. I wished I could peek at her when she thought I couldn't, to get at the truth of what she really thought of me. It seemed that I was only really sure what she felt when she was angry with me.

I heard the dry rustle of ashes stirring and coming back to life as Sango stoked the dying fire, reviving it. She moved about, readying for the morning routines. Then, she did something that I had never heard her do before. She began to hum.

She did this for me, I knew at once. I could follow her sound. There was no real song behind the notes she trilled, just a mellifluous and nonsensical mixture of sounds that alerted me to where she was. And when she would near me, she would reach out and touch my shoulder, my arm, my back and give me some kind of reference to where she was since I couldn't track her with my eyes. It was nice, but confusing since I knew that Sango wasn't normally a touchy kind of person. If I knew nothing else in the world, I knew how non-touchy she was.

"How do you know to do that?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry? Do what, Houshi-sama?" she replied.

"You're so kind in letting me know where you are by humming and doing other things. It's helpful and was curious as to how you know to do that."

"Oh," she stopped her morning preparations and whispering sounds on the ground near the crackle of the fire told me she was kneeling next to it. "I had an uncle. In his old age, he went blind and we went to visit him almost every day. He was always shouting at us to stop being so quiet and sneaking up on him and scaring him. He was always so grumpy." Sango paused and I heard a kind of short laugh through her nose, entertained by her memory. "I learned that humming would keep him from yelling. I also learned how to best lead him around his home and the village."

"And here I thought that it was the special connection between us that made it so easy for you to lead me around," I teased, hinting at the truth I had thought I had felt. I would have traded anything I owned to see her face, how my words affected her just then. Instead, I had to listen to her silence.

"Well, it is a lot different with you. It's a lot easier. And you are more cheerful about it than he ever was," she finally said. My mouth dropped open in shock. I was the furthest from cheerful than I had ever been. "When he went blind, he was so devastated. His blindness was a part of his growing older, of growing sick and dying. While we all knew that the end was coming, even before he was blind, not being able to see is what took all the fight from him. He just seemed to fade and grow meaner and more distant when he had always been one of our favorite uncles."

I let this information sink in. "It's so much harder than I thought it would be," I admitted. "I wish I could be more brave and dignified and appear to be handling this better than I am. I would have been completely lost without you here."

Sango sighed. "You'd have been fine, Houshi-sama." Her voice was bordering exasperation. Her modesty was refusing to let her accept what she thought were too-effusive compliments, no matter how truthful they were. I didn't want to argue with her and make her begin to doubt I was being anything but sincere.

I moved on. "I should still thank you, though. Thank you."

She began to move about again. "You're welcome. You would have done the same for me. Also, we need you well. I'll do anything if it means that we get closer to defeating Naraku."

"Sango, what if I can't get well? What if I stay blind?"

Something dropped, making a dull thud against the grassy ground near the fire. "Houshi-sama, what are you saying?"

"I can't fight Naraku like this. I can barely get around. I'm just saying that maybe we need to think of what will happen if we can't fix this."

"No!" she exclaimed. "We'll find a way. Something happened to you. We'll find out what and you'll see again."

"But maybe this is something that doesn't have a cure. We need to prepare ourselves . . . I need to prepare myself to the possibility that this is the end of my time with all of you."

"But we need you," Sango argued. Then she was quiet for a long time. I could hear flies buzzing in the warming grass, the jumping grasshoppers, the rustle of the foliage in the breeze while she thought about not having me around. Then, she returned to stoking the fire again. "No, I won't consider it, now. First we'll try everything. Then, we'll see about what to do if we fail. Maybe you would be able to continue with us, anyway. Despite what you think, you've been adapting wonderfully. Maybe there's a way . . . "

I felt surprised. Sango wanted me around even with all of my questionable behavior and my new disability. Yes, I was good in a fight and had my own personal stake in our shared goal of taking out Naraku, but that could all be ending. Continuing with them while blind? It was something new to consider. And if you pardon the play on words, I was also beginning to see Sango in a new light. I had never thought that she was an optimist or that she liked me enough to have to work harder, herself, to have me around. But there would be a cost to that, too. I would be the weak link that might result in someone getting hurt or worse.

"What's that face?" Sango asked.

"What face?"

"You're making a face. It looks like worry. I've never seen you look worried before. Are you?"

I fought to make my face more impassive, with my usual aspect of considerate thought, good humor, and appreciation for whatever female form might be around. I had grown accustomed to using other people as a mirror for my own expressions, fiercely controlling my face to reconfirm whatever those around me thought I would be thinking and feeling. People don't ask many questions if they thought they knew what you were thinking. If I look happy and lecherous, people assumed I was happy being a pervert. While this wasn't exactly untrue, it wasn't what I felt every second.

While I was never shy about expressing my thoughts and ideas, I didn't like people being able to read how I felt. Those darker emotions, the sadder ones, were more personal to me and I possessively held them close. It was almost like admitting a weakness and I felt exposed and vulnerable that Sango had caught me showing my anxiety.

I cleared my throat to make an answer. I wasn't sure what I was going to have to admit, when I felt an incoming demonic presence that I almost felt grateful for. I stiffened and moved to stand, grabbing my staff and holding it out defensively in front of me.

"You feel that, Sango?"

She was at my side in two steps and hustling me away from the fire. "We'll fight them. You and me," she told me. "Now's as good a time as ever to see if it can be done. Do exactly what I say exactly when I say it."

"Trial by fire," I confirmed. "I'm at your command."

"We're in a clearing on the plateau. The demons will be coming from above us. I don't see any uneven ground or anything that could get in your way. Keep your back to mine and duck when I tell you to."

"Got it," I said, adrenaline pouring through my system, chilling and warming me at the same time. Sango linked her left arm through my right and we stood back-to-back, waiting for the fight. Hiraikotsu to her right and at the ready and my staff poised to ward off anything in front of me, we were as prepared as we were going to be.

Briefly, I wondered if it might not be safer for Sango to do the fighting for both of us. But remembering the sounds from the last attack, there was no way, even as strong as she was, that she could take on so many at once. And there were more this time.

I felt them coming. Sango and I took a couple of steps, turning in a circle so that Sango could survey the entire field and so that I could situate myself in this three-dimensional space. The ground was even, grassy, and soft. A slight breeze that had been sweet was growing more foul with the coming demons. I licked my lips to make them more sensitive to the moving air.

"Duck Houshi-sama!" cried Sango the same instant I felt an aura from behind me, slightly to my left. I dropped to one knee, slipping my arm out from hers, but catching her elbow as I waited for her to catch the returning boomerang.

Sango's muscles sprang back to life behind me as the screaming air that was beaten by the boomerang pounded against my ears as Sango made the catch. I was instantly to my feet again, arm through hers. We made another circle.

"Did you get it?" I asked.

"Yeah. But there are more."

I didn't need to be told as much. I felt them and they were going to attack all at once. Circling again, Sango called out the precise positions of the forest demons getting ready to charge us. "Duck!" she screamed as she released the boomerang again, "On your feet! Coming at you, from your left!"

Muscle memory took over. Even with our arms linked, I was able to wield my staff with ease and strike out against the demonic aura hurtling at me at breakneck speed. Sango stepped lightly with me as I lunged and felt the satisfying resistence of a demon's body coming into contact with my staff. "Duck again!" she called as she made her second catch. "Well done, Houshi-sama," she complimented me.

Our fighting became a kind of dance with an easy give and take of movements. We were perfectly in step and never struggled or strained against the other. Within a few minutes, Sango no longer even needed to give specific instructions. A simple "At you, left, above," and her guiding me into a good position to strike with slight movements of her own body helped me fend off some demons and even kill a few.

"How many more are there?" I asked her.

"I don't know. They keep coming from over the hilltop above us."

I closed my eyes and focused my remaining four senses to the hilltop. The rustle of the long grasses, the stink of the demons, the taste of the air, and the movement of the atmosphere against my skin combined to help me visualize the coming fight.

I had been taught to seek one-ness with my environment through meditation and peace, but I was always surprised when there were times I felt more connected to everything around me in instances of great exertion. At that time, even blind, I felt like the earth, Sango, the grasses, trees, and forest life were all extensions of me. I realized I had been fighting with my eyes closed, yet could see, could almost predict every movement to be made as if it had already happened.

Soon, I was making moves independently. Sango stayed with me and made her movements compliment my own. "What . . . " she asked as I swung my staff into the side of another demon. Sango gasped. "Another invisible one! I didn't even know!"

"It would appear that Kagome was right," I said, catching my breath as the demons began to regroup for their next attack. "I may be in a better position to fight any more invisible demons. Be sure to call out all the ones you see and I'll fill you in on the ones that you don't."

"Right," she agreed. And our fight raged on. Sango and I held our own. I'm not sure how it would have looked from the outside. It wasn't perfect. I whiffed more than a few times, failing to connect with a demon, but I managed to at least scare them from me before they could inflict damage. I also was clipped by the boomerang once when I failed to duck when Sango yelled. But it was no worse than a knock to the head Sango would give me when she thought I was being too forward with some village girls.

And Sango was no more graceful in taking out the invisible forest demons than I had been in dealing with the ones she could see. More than once I heard her curse as she failed to take out the ones I had announced were coming. But we did astoundingly well for our circumstance.

With that last invisible demon, we sustained our only injury. I don't know if it was broken concentration or battle fatigue that made us misjudge his trajectory, swerving to come at us low rather than high as we expected, but it barreled into Sango's legs, flipping her off of her feet. With an awkward move, I managed to right Sango by tightening our elbow grip, catching her on my back, while I brought down my staff on the dreadful youkai.

As Sango touched her feet to the ground, she yelped in pain, recovered, then unsheathed her katana and dispatched the now-visible demon with a vengeful stroke. It was over. We had survived. It was amazing. One blind man and one demon slayer had been able to take out several forest demons and some more strangely cursed invisible demons and come through intact, for the most part. I don't think there was ever a time I was more proud of an accomplishment (in battle, anyway). I couldn't gloat too long, though. Sango needed some attention.

- - -

A.N. 2: This chapter went nothing like I had expected. I don't know. All the WAFF that I've already written got pushed into the next chapter to try and give this story some more plot and action. I'm not happy with the dialogue, either. I fixed it as well as I could in my short interludes of solitude at the house, but it's still off. One more chapter, and the story is done. Is Christmas over yet?


	5. Trust and Light

Author's note 1: I finally made it back home. I managed to disentangle myself from family and relatives with minimal bloodshed and permanent scarring. The popular question this holiday: "When are you going to be done with school?" After the tenth time I was asked, I was tempted to say something smart ass like, "Whenever I get out of rehab for my crack addiction," or something like that. Unfortunately, my family would respond with, "Really? When _I_ went to rehab…" I love my family, but we're not very (I believe the word is) functional. But I survived. Yay!

I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this last chapter. Again, I blame those blasted holidays. But I will say that the extra time allowed me to think through the plot a bit more and made this story much better than I had thought out originally.

Oh. And I know I promised WAFF. I'm not sure if this chapter technically counts as WAFF. But it did give _me_ the warm fuzzies to write it. And here is where I attempt to earn my PG-13 rating. So you have all been warned. And all review acknowledgements are at the end.

* * *

Groping

By Starzki

Chapter 5: Trust and Light

- - -

Sango broke the contact between us. I heard her sharp intake of breath and careful steps as she tried to walk on her injury. I don't know how, but I managed to hear her wince. Maybe I was just expecting it, or maybe I heard myself wince for her, but there was definitely some wincing going on.

"Is it serious?" I asked.

"No, I can walk it off. It's already feeling better."

"Knee?"

"Ankle."

"Ouch."

Sango chuckled at me as she continued to pace, slowly at first, but with gaining speed and confidence. After dull thuds and rustling weeds announced that she was able to hop up and down on her injury, I relaxed and indulged in the completely selfish thought, _Good. Now Sango will still be able to guide me_.

After a few moments of silence, I wondered if I wasn't wrong, if she was covering up her injury. "What's the matter?" I asked.

Sango laughed. "I was just looking around. You and I did some damage. There's quite a mess. Scavengers will be visiting this spot for weeks."

"We've always made a good team," I responded.

Sango didn't seem to have any response to that observation. Not an auditory one, anyway. I felt myself make another unhappy face, wishing for sight or anything that could tell me how Sango was reacting. I wanted to know if I was affecting her like she was affecting me. Being able to actually touch her was somehow making her more real to me. It was making me not only want to be around her all of the time, but wanting Sango to let me touch her all of the time.

Obviously not reading my thoughts, Sango grabbed my hand and led me around the youkai corpses and back to our camp. We finished our interrupted breakfast and cleaned up camp.

Then, Sango decided to head back to the forest path that we had been following yesterday. It would be better to meet Inuyasha and the others there. We would lose less time if they could find us easier.

So, again, we made our way through the forest, eventually finding the path. And, again, I was becoming very fatigued with the simple process of walking. Every concentrated thought was involved with keeping me upright and walking. My face hurt from frowning at my lack of progress. Fighting had come so easily. Why was walking so hard?

My growing frustration was broken by Sango crying out and falling. I had heard her stub her toe on a clump of grass and she went down. I mentally berated myself for forgetting her twisted ankle by being so self-absorbed with my own problems. While I had half-caught her by hanging on to her elbow, she was still more sprawled on the ground than she was standing, so I lowered her as gently as I could.

"Ugh," groaned Sango. "It's okay, I just stepped on it wrong."

I sank to sit next to her, facing her. "We'll rest."

"No, I can keep going. I'm fine."

"That may be, but I'm tired and would like to rest." I felt snappy, but kept my tone even. I knew that we both needed the rest and she would sit still and not injure herself further if she thought she was doing it for me.

As I felt my muscles unbunch and my mind begin to wander to pointless things, and to Sango, I heard her rubbing her sore ankle every once in a while. After a long silence, she spoke. "You look deep in thought. What are you thinking?"

I answered honestly, "You." Throughout this whole ordeal, I had been bargaining with whatever powers there are to give anything I had, to do anything I could if I could only see again. I had officially run out of things to trade as I wished I could see Sango's reaction.

Sango went still, even holding her breath. Then she responded with concern in her voice, "Then why do you look so unhappy?"

"I was thinking that you're just too quiet."

"Too quiet?" she echoed dubiously.

I opened my mouth to explain but faltered. I tried again. "I'm used to just looking at your face guessing what you're thinking by your expression. Now, I can't tell at all because you're too quiet about it."

More quiet assaulted my ears as Sango thought about what I had just said. Then, apparently making a decision, she shifted closer to me and said, "I have a bad feeling I'm going to regret this, but my uncle could tell our expressions by touching our faces. I supposed I could let you. But you behave yourself."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise and my mouth dropped. I needed to be sure I had heard her correctly. "You're saying that it's okay for me to touch your face."

Sango sighed. "Yes, Houshi-sama. That's what I'm saying. That way I can be as quiet as I like and you can guess what I'm thinking from my expression all you want." I didn't need to be told twice. My sour mood instantly vanished and I smiled.

I reached out with both hands to cup her face, find it in my bearings. My fingers stretched along her jaw line and cheeks, my fingertips touching her ears and wispy baby hairs that framed her face. My thumbs brushed her mouth, the sides of her nose, and her eyelids. I made my touch as gentle as possible and Sango opened her eyes, blinking, her eyelashes making soft beats against the pads of my thumbs.

I brought my face close to hers, the warmth of our mingled breaths providing their own maps of the outline of her features. I felt her cheeks warm under my hands and I couldn't keep myself from grinning again. She didn't pull away. I felt so lucky and unlucky at the same time. I was beside myself that Sango would let me so close, let me touch her, but I still longed to see her. I guessed my other senses would have to be enough to see her and I would do absolutely nothing to ruin this moment.

Deciding that I was nothing if not methodical, I moved my left hand to bury my fingers in her thick, warm hair behind her ear to steady her head as I ran my right hand from hairline to chin lightly over her face. After the first general assessment that at least Sango was not scowling or angry with me, there were no creases or furrows lining her face, my fingers made a slower, more deliberate trek over her face.

First, I smoothed her bangs to the side and my fingertips ran across her brow. It was warm and I could feel the muscles underneath dance and twitch with some expression I did not know how to interpret. From there, my fingers encountered the fine hairs of her eyebrows. I traced their outline, each in turn, then circled my fingertips under her eyes, following the contours of smooth bone, to the delicate and soft skin there. I felt Sango blink a few times, no doubt wary that I might accidentally poke her in the eye. But there would be no way I would allow such a thing to happen. I smiled slightly in my concentration and hoped that she realized I was trying to be reassuring.

Next, I dabbled my fingertips above her eyes to feel her eyelashes again. I was enchanted by the soft, feathery beat, the way they caressed my fingers. I felt the strong bridge of her nose and traveled my touch down to the tip of her nose. Sango wrinkled it and gave a little snort, and I chuffed a laugh in response. I took this as my cue to move on to other features.

A brief survey of her cheeks revealed that she was smiling gently at me. I turned my hand and ran the backs of my fingers against her smooth skin, from her high cheekbones to her strong, but delicate jaw line. _So this is what pretty feels like_, I thought to myself. I'm sure my expression was completely serious and I felt as Sango's smile faded. Her jaw clenched and unclenched under my ministrations and I heard her swallow hard. Her mouth parted and a small puff of air escaped in her exhale and her cheeks warmed again.

My fingertips' long journeys ended on her mouth, still parted and slightly moist. I traced their outline with slowness and care, remembering in my mind's eye their color and shape. It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that they grew warmer as I touched them. I also relished the humid air that brushed past my fingertips in her measured, careful breathing.

I realized how close I was to Sango, how trusting she was being, how open and vulnerable. I was touched by her faith in me. A feeling within my chest, surrounding my heart, swelled. A short gasp escaped my lips. It was so much to have given me, yet I still wanted more. More sensation to fill in the gap in my vision. My fingers were too callused and insensitive to make up for my failing vision.

I slipped my left hand into her hair and rasped, "Do you trust me, Sango?"

"Houshi-sama?" she whispered, her words making soft taps against my face.

"Right now, do you trust me?"

She hesitated slightly, then whispered again, "Yes."

I smiled, then lowered my face, to touch my cheek to hers. She gasped in slight surprise and I felt her tense. Then, realizing that I wouldn't violate her trust, she relaxed again. I flexed my fingers, stroking her smooth, thick hair as I rubbed my forehead against hers and placed my other cheek alongside her other cheek. I licked my lips and breathed through my mouth as my nose and lips lightly made their way along the same path my fingers had not so long before. My thumbs made slow circles in the hollows of her cheeks. I could see her better with my mouth. She was softer against my lips than my fingers. I could even feel the tiny hairs and dew of perspiration as my breath bounced off her skin. I could almost taste the salt of her skin. I knew that I would kiss her.

So I pulled back. Sango trusted me and I refused to betray that trust and ruin this moment, one of the most intense experiences of my life. I felt partly breathless, the air in my lungs robbed by her closeness, and I tried to appear calm and composed on the outside while my insides vibrated. Then, underneath my thumbs, I felt Sango's face contort and tense. She was straining to keep her composure; the corners of her mouth struggled to keep from turning down. My mouth dropped open, instantly concerned that I had pushed things too far, despite my restraint. I started to ask what was wrong, but Sango cut me off.

"Are you sure that you're blind, Houshi-sama?" she asked me, her voice small and strained. I didn't answer but moved my eyes, trying to peer through the darkness to see her and right whatever wrong I had done. "Because I think you see me better than anyone ever has," Sango finally said, bringing her hand up and running her fingers lightly against the back of my left hand that still was holding her face.

My heart skipped a few beats and I could feel the blood rush to my face. I felt exuberant, like part of me jumped up and did a happy little jig while the rest of me remained frozen to replay her words over and over. I made to smile again when I felt her jerk her head toward mine. I felt the flutter of her lips as they pecked quickly at mine and I even startled in surprise at the gesture, completely delighted. Sango settled back and I could feel her smile at my reaction.

I dipped my head to her and brushed my lips against hers in response. Not a kiss, exactly. I was experimenting with touch and pressure, savoring the soft warmth of her mouth. I played with my breath, exhaling across our sensitive lips, teasing her with the prolonged promise of a real kiss, wanting to make it count, be special.

Moving away from her mouth, I dragged my lips down her chin and along her jaw, leaving tiny kisses in my wake, ending beneath her ear. She gasped and made a small sound as I nipped gently against the sensitive skin there. Then she grabbed my face with both hands and drew me back to her mouth.

I hovered over her face as she gave me small pecks at the corners of my mouth. My hands, which had began running up and down her throat, feeling her pulse beneath the skin, dug themselves back into the hair near her scalp. I entwined her hair around all of my fingers, giving myself no excuse for roving hands that Sango wasn't ready for. I gently fisted my hands in the strong silk of her hair, pulling it slightly, causing Sango to gasp in surprise.

I used the opportunity to plunge into her mouth. Again, I experimented and teased. I kissed her hard, but only for the briefest of seconds before pulling back and away. I snuck small tastes of her lips, her tongue, the roof of her mouth. Tense at the experience at first, Sango began to relax, see that I was playing. I felt her begin to smile, accepting my small plunders of her mouth.

Finally, my Sango grew impatient, tired of my teasing. The hands that had held my face moved to my shoulders and pulled me hard into her. She leaned back, reclining and resting her back against a large log and crushed my chest against hers, claiming my mouth, running her tongue over my lips.

I smiled briefly before taking the opportunity to explore kissing her properly. She tasted like berries and spice. The sensation from my mouth was electric, spreading warmth and a kind of vibration through the rest of me. I wish I could explain it more clearly, the next few minutes of kissing Sango, but I passed into a kind of blissful delirium. The best word I have ever come up with to describe it was sweet.

It is my own theory that people are most themselves when they kiss. The mouth is the most expressive feature of the body and it communicates so much more than words. People are accustomed to using it to inform others how they feel and we were no different. Sango kissed like everything I adored about her. She was shy, sad, strong, stubborn, kind, needy, beautiful, demanding, and confident. But most of all, she was sweet. Even now, our first real kisses remind me less of pressure, moisture, and movement of our lips and more of eating a bowl of cherries and cream.

Sango seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. One hand remained on my shoulder, gripping my upper arm tightly and pressing me onto her while the other moved to my face, lightly guiding and stilling it for her ministrations. She absently stroked my cheek with her thumb, making my insides shiver and dance. Her kisses grew more bold and deep. Finally, she made a kind of appreciative hum, the kind of sound people make when they've just tasted a rich dessert.

My eyes flew open, saw nothing, then squeezed shut again. My ears had heard that noise and the rest of my body began to respond. Any functioning of my brain ceased into only one thought, _Whoa_.

I broke the kiss with a soft groan. I pressed my forehead hard against hers as I gasped with the exertion of keeping under control. Sango brought her hand to the side of my face again and I turned my mouth to kiss her palm, straining to keep from even doing that. I feared that if I did, it would be harder to stop. If we kept going, I could go too far and Sango would have to stop things. And that might result in a physical reprimand from her and my loss of her as my guide again. This would have to stop for now.

Sango chuffed at me. I knew she was smiling, which was good. I longed to see the rest of her expression. Was she heavy-lidded and dull-eyed with passion? Was her skin flushed? Was her mouth dark with kisses? I was sure her hair must be in a state of complete disarray from my running my fingers through it. I resolved to kiss her again after I could see. I needed to almost more than I needed air.

I was still shaky with happiness and restraint. Sango sat up and pulled my head onto her shoulder and did her best to soothe me. Although it would have been better for me if I couldn't smell her intoxicating scent, her nearness, I didn't move away. I am not a stupid man.

We both finally collected ourselves enough to stand. We were invigorated and ready to move on. Neither of us spoke, but I heard Sango attempt to smooth out her hair and I silently chuckled.

We hadn't taken ten steps before we felt people coming. Well, two demons, a half-demon, and two humans. Inuyasha and the others were back and they had brought someone whose power was so great that had we not been otherwise engaged, Sango and I would have felt her sooner.

Not much for introductions, Inuyasha raced up to us and said, "We've figured out the problem. This miko here has cast a spell over the whole area."

Sango whispered to me, "Kagome and the others brought a young woman with them. She's definitely a priestess."

I almost asked Sango if she was pretty but caught myself in time. Nothing but my best behavior until I could see Sango after I kissed her again. I made this solemn promise to myself.

"So what's going on? Can you make me see again, Priestess?"

"My name is Hikari," the new melodic voice told me. "I am responsible for your condition and I'm truly sorry for that." I could tell that she was definitely pretty. Pretty girls and women have a particular confidence in their voices. Not that it mattered to me if she was pretty or not, but it's one of those things that I will never stop noticing about women. Also, she was the one who had made me blind. I couldn't help but be a little angry with her for that.

"So switch me back, let me see again," I implored.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. My village is in trouble."

"Tell him what you told us," Kagome told Hikari.

"Understand, there is a terrible demon in this forest who lives very near here. Because of some magic, she can breed more demons like her and make them invisible. Those who left our village were under constant attack from foes they couldn't see. Many lives have been lost. My powers couldn't turn the demons visible again, so I cast a spell to blind all the men who ranged in ages from 16 to 24 in and around my village so that they might, with their other senses, be able to fight these demons better. I'm afraid you were close enough that the spell affected you, too."

"See, Miroku-sama," explained Kagome. "I was right. You were able to fight that invisible demon better than any of us were."

"I see," I said, then felt silly for my choice of words. "I understand," I corrected myself. "But I would still like to have my eyesight back. I promise that I will help if you reverse the spell."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. The breaking of the spell is contingent upon the destruction, the complete annihilation of that first demon who breeds all of the others."

"Well, that'll be no problem. Let's take it out and move on. I'm tired of hanging around here," stated Inuyasha, unsheathing his sword.

Hikari admonished him, "Swords will not kill this demon. It can regenerate from even the smallest piece of flesh. It must be totally erased from this world."

Inuyasha grunted with dissatisfaction and Kagome gave a defeated sound. Sango remained perfectly still.

"Then, my kazaana will have to be our weapon," I said. "Please, Hikari-sama, direct me to this demon's lair. If destroying the thing that is responsible for the invisible youkai will cure my blindness, I want to do it as quickly as possible."

Sango tensed beside me. "How safe is it for you to use the kazaana?" she asked. "With all of the winds and noise it makes, you could become very disoriented. I'm not disagreeing with you that the kazaana is the necessary weapon, but…"

Sango was right. I grinned lightly in her direction. "Well, we made a good team before. If you brace me and help me aim, I don't doubt I'll be seeing the sunset with you," I said softly. My mood was soaring. There was a solution, a way to cure me, and I was glad for it, even though using the kazaana blind scared me a little. It was settled.

Sango patted my hand. Hikari began to lead us off the path. Sango and I followed her and Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara followed us.

Not fifteen minutes later, the light-stepping and quiet miko halted and rustled in her robes as she turned. "Just ahead, through that line of trees is the demon's cave. It's guarded by her offspring. As you may know, a jolt to the invisible demons' systems will render them visible again, as will destroying their mother. Once she is gone, you and the rest of the young men of my village will have their sight back."

I nodded seriously toward the sound of her deep and authoritative voice. My heart began to beat faster. Using the kazaana always made me nervous. It was a lot of power to be responsible for and I never used it lightly. Now I would be fighting blind. But I was consoled that I would have my friends at my back.

Sango led the group of us through the trees and we all immediately felt the poisoned presence of dozens upon dozens of demons. Sango's breath caught speed and she whispered, "It looks so deserted, but I can tell they're all around."

A deep and happy growling came from Inuyasha and I heard Kagome un-quiver an arrow and fit it to her bow. The whole atmosphere buzzed with tension and all was still. Even the birds and insects refused to make a sound.

And then it began.

The air flapped and breezed as the demons descended from the treetops and screeched in fury as they hurtled themselves at us. Sango and I began the fight in much the same way as we had fought earlier that morning. I called out the positions of the incoming youkai and the group fought them off as best as we could.

Inuyasha quickly became adept at honing his far superior senses away from sight and into detecting the other more subtle cues to the locations of the demons. While Sango and I had managed to take out at least one, Inuyasha quickly took the lead in battle and flew with focused rage at the invisible foes. I could tell that he was attempting to knock them out of their invisible camouflage so that Kagome and Kirara could find them and help destroy them.

They began to clear a safe passage for Sango and I as we made our way to the enchanted demon mother. The ground around the cave was stony and uneven. Without Sango's help, I would have tripped every other step, but she guided me well and we quickly made progress.

Abandoning her boomerang, Sango was able to protect us from the youkai that broke from the attack on Inuyasha and decided that we were easier prey. She warded off a few of the attacks that I alerted her to and was even able to destroy another demon. We steadily made our way forward.

Then, from directly in front of us came a soul-shattering inhuman shriek that froze my blood. Had I been able to see, it would have been better. Instead, I had only my active imagination to help me picture the source of that terrible sound. Each image that I came up with was worse than the last. I slowed to a complete stop.

Sango whispered to me urgently. "It's not as bad as you think. It's about 50 feet in front of us. It doesn't look poisonous or like it has anything sharp that could damage you. It's covered in scales and resembles a lizard."

Her description didn't help. After another horrible shriek, I covered my ears and whispered back, "I don't think I can do this." I was frozen to the spot.

"You have to," she responded urgently. "It's noticed us and is coming. We have to do this now."

Inuyasha's battle behind us was winding down. It was up to Sango and me to finish the job, but I was nearly petrified with fear.

Sango stepped behind me and wrapped her left arm around my waist. She took my right wrist in her right hand and held it out in front of us. She pressed her body against mine to brace it and rested her chin on my right shoulder in order to help me aim the wind tunnel. The youkai continued its piercing shrieks that were rendering me nearly paralyzed. Over the screams, I could hear it pounding the ground and rushing at us.

Sango whispered low, directly into my ear. "It's coming fast." Her breath on my sensitive ear and nearness to me broke me out of my fugue. "Take it off, now!" she ordered.

Obliging, I took off the rosary and unsealed the kazaana. At once, violent winds broke the air around us, sounding like thunder being ripped from the clouds. The noise became such that I couldn't rely on my ears to orient me. The winds moved everything around so that I couldn't rely on the smell or the taste of the air to know where I was. All I was sure of was Sango at my back, her arm along mine.

I trusted her. I clenched my teeth and tried to mold myself to her, to become her weapon without any resistance. The youkai's shrieking again became audible over the winds as it was sucked nearer. But it was screaming in fright, not rage, because it was coming to its end. I was no longer terrorized by the sound.

I felt the familiar tug and strain as the demon became enveloped into my void. Then, as always, I felt a loss of something. I hated the kazaana. But it was useful to me. And I hated every second of being thankful to Naraku for the curse he had bestowed on me and my family.

I felt Sango relax and over the winds she said with relief, "It's over. You can cover it again." She pressed a smile into my neck and stepped away from me. I was instantly warm, my doom forgotten.

I had closed my eyes. I wanted the first thing I saw to be Sango. I turned to her and slowly peeked out through my slightly open lids. I saw light.

My face broke into a wide smile as I looked at Sango. She stood in front of me, as gorgeous as I had ever seen her with a look of hopeful expectation on her face.

"Well? Can you…?" she started.

I didn't give her the opportunity to finish her question. I answered it by grabbing her shoulders and swinging her around and toward me, knocking her off balance. I caught her and lowered her into a very low dip, her hair brushing the ground. Then I kissed her wetly and noisily on the lips. Let the others think I was back up to my old ways. I'd make sure that Sango and I would properly kiss again later.

Standing a slightly disoriented Sango back on her feet and moving a safe distance away, I heard Inuyasha make a disgusted noise at my behavior. I looked over at the rest of the group. Shippou and Kirara looked quizzical. Kagome appeared as though she might swoon in delight. And Inuyasha looked a little green as he turned to Hikari (who _was_ beautiful with long, dark hair and deep set black eyes) and asked, "Ugh. Can I be blind, too?"

Kagome shot him a look of death but I was bounding toward him before she could sit him. Inuyasha wasn't expecting my tackle. I pinned him and gave him my deliriously happy grin and proceeded to give him an equally loud and wet kiss on the mouth. (But I didn't slip him the bit of tongue I did Sango.)

Inuyasha was shocked into stillness so I took advantage and stood and hustled out of his reach. Kagome and Hikari were giving me dubious looks, afraid they were next, while Sango and Shippou exploded into laugher. I joined in. Nothing was better than seeing my friends in the growing light of a beautiful day.

END

* * *

A/N 2: Okay, I blatantly stole the "Can I be blind, too" from an episode of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. I apologize to the writers of that show. It was much funnier in the original, but I couldn't resist using the line.

Well, that's all. Thank goodness it's over. It was a lot harder to write than I expected. From now on, all of the characters I write (at least from the first person) will be _sighted_. I'm way too wordy as a writer as it is and having to write three times as much description because I couldn't explain things visually didn't help me become more concise.

All in all, I'm okay with the story. I like it better than my other Inuyasha story. I may sound self-deprecating about it and I'm not fishing for compliments but trying to give an honest evaluation of it. I do/will write as a part of my career and I really need to get better. Unfortunately, I will be writing non-literary, boring boring boring stuff, but it still needs to be better. So I consider fanfiction "practice." Anyway, it's how I justify spending so much time on it when I seriously need to other things. It has _absolutely_ nothing to do with my obsession with Miroku and Sango. Right. Did that even sound remotely convincing? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.

On to the review acknowledgements:

_Aamalie_: This was originally going to be three chapters. I have a very short writing attention span so I'm impressed that it got this long! But thanks so much for reviewing and encouraging me. I hope you liked this last chapter, too.

_Lily Thorne_: No, it wasn't good. I have problems with dialogue. Usually with Sango and Miroku it comes a little easier, but last chapter was complete agony to write. But thank you for the nice things you said and for reviewing!

_DogEars22_: Yeah. I psychically knew it was your birthday and posted it then on purpose. Right. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it, thanks for the nice review and Happy Belated Birthday!

_Fred the Mutant Pickle_: I kind of liked the fight scene, too. Thank you for reviewing. And you _should_ work on the back-story to your name. Just for giggles.

_Seine_: I'm a soccer player myself and have no more ankles to speak of because of low tackles. And no, no it is not fun.

_gypsymuse_: Thank you for the review. I think that Miroku and Sango compliment each other so well that of course they would do great in a situation like this. I hope you liked the ending.

_Mirokus wife_: Thank you for reviewing. I hoped this last chapter wasn't a disappointment. And I _adore_ Mexico. I have nothing but happy, happy memories of all of my visits there, which all have something to do with (surprise, surprise) tequila. Mmm. Mexico. Me encanta Mexico.

_Kendra Luehr_: You know I appreciate all of your reviews. Keep on plugging away and we'll cross that whole "retirement" bridge when we come to it, eh?

_Spam-chan_: I agree with you review completely. Thanks for it!

_SoulStealer45_: Am I a perfectionist? The easy answer: Yes. The much more complicated answer (boiled down): Yes. I just want to get better. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this last chapter.

_Twistedtajiya_: I'm not very creative, it seems (sigh). I guess everything's been done before, but _I_ haven't done it, so I gave it a try. Oh well. Thanks for reviewing!

_mirokuluvur64_: Thanks for the review! Israel sounds like an interesting trip. And I don't scare very easily. Well, actually, I do, but nice reviews don't scare me. Thanks again, and I hope you liked the end.

_Iggy04_: Wow, what a nice review. Thank you. I hope you liked this ending. I also have a super-angst story coming up (and I think I read that you liked the angst) so keep your eye out!

Again to all: Thanks to those who read and reviewed! You all rock! And thanks to those who read and just thought nice things about the story.


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